nd out her hiding-place, and
she can't find out yours, why, then, you're fated to have her, and so
you shall have her."

"That's not in the bargain, either," said the lad; "but we must try,
since it must be so;" and so the Princess went off to hide herself
first.

So she turned herself into a duck, and lay swimming on a pond that was
close to the palace. But the lad only ran down to the stable, and
asked Dapplegrim what she had done with herself.

"Oh, you only need take your gun," said Dapplegrim, "and go down to
the brink of the pond, and aim at the duck which lies swimming about
there, and she'll soon show herself."

So the lad snatched his gun and ran off to the pond.

"I'll just take a pop at this duck," he said, and began to aim at it.

"Nay, nay, dear friend, don't shoot. It's I," said the Princess.

So he found her once.

The second time the Princess turned herself into a loaf of bread, and
laid herself on the table amongst four other loaves; and so like was
she to the others, no one could say which was which.

But the lad went again down to the stable to Dapplegrim, and said how
the Princess had hidden herself again, and he couldn't tell at all
what had become of her.

"Oh, just take and sharpen a good bread-knife," said Dapplegrim, "and
do as if you were going to cut in two the third loaf on the left hand
of those four loaves which are lying on the dresser in the king's
kitchen, and you'll find her soon enough."

Yes, the lad was down in the kitchen in no time, and began to sharpen
the biggest bread-knife he could lay his hands on; then he caught
hold of the third loaf on the left hand, and put the knife to it, as
though he were going to cut it in two.

"I'll just have a slice off this loaf," he said.

"Nay, dear friend," said the Princess, "don't cut. It's I."

So he found her twice.

Then he was to go and hide but he and Dapplegrim had settled it so
well beforehand, it wasn't easy to find him. First he turned himself
into a fly, and hid himself in Dapplegrim's left nostril; and the
Princess went about hunting for him everywhere, high and low. At last
she wanted to go into Dapplegrim's stall, but he began to bite and
kick, so that she daren't go near him, and so she couldn't find the
lad.

"Well," she said, "since I cannot find you, you must show where you
are yourself;" and in a trice the lad stood there on the stable floor.

The second time Dapplegrim told him just what to do; and then